Effect of planting date and spraying with sulfur on growth and yield of broccoli in the desert lands of Southern Iraq

الملخص EN

The experiment was conducted during the winter season 2017-2018 on broccoli variety Paraiso under desert conditions in southern Iraq, as it nine factorial treatments in which three planting dates interacted (1/9/2017, 15/9/2017 and 1/10/2017) and the effect of spraying with different concentrations of sulfur (Zolfast) (0, 3 and 3.5 ml L-1 ), by three sprays for each concentration, with a difference of two weeks between one spray and another, and for three replications.

Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used for a split plot design, the mean results were analyzed statistically using Genstat, V.

10.3 (2011) and the Least Significant Difference Test (L.

S.

D.

) was used to compare the averages at a probability level of 0.05, the results showed that the plants grown on the first date (1/9) were significantly superior in the vegetative growth indicators represented by plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry weights of the total vegetative, and in the yield indicators that included weight (666.15 g) and diameter of the main heahs, number and weight of lateral heads, plant total yield (0.789 kg) and total productivity (17.36 ton ha-1), and in the qualitative and chemical characteristics of the yield that included the content of the main heads of total chlorophyll (mg 100 g-1 fresh weight), the percentage of total soluble solids and vitamin C (mg 100 g-1 fresh weight), total soluble carbohydrates (mg g-1 dry weight), percentage of total nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulfur, the plants grown on the first (1/9) and second (15/9) dates exceeded in percentage of dry matter, plants that were sprayed with sulfur at a concentration of 3.5 ml L-1 achieved a significant increase in vegetative growth and yield indicators for the same mentioned characteristics, as the head weight was 586.23 g, plant total yield was 0.695 kg and total productivity was 15.29 ton ha-1, while spraying with sulfur at a concentration of 3 or 3.5 ml L-1 resulted in a significant increase in the fresh weight of the total vegetative with a non-significant difference between them, and the bilateral interaction between the two experimental factors achieved a significant effect on most of the characteristics under study.